Sacred Heart University is committed to the pursuit of excellence in teaching, research, and public service. At the same time, the University seeks to protect the welfare of every person who may be involved in research and training projects. Members of the University community, while upholding the highest standards of freedom of inquiry and communication, accept the responsibility this freedom offers: for competence, for objectivity, and for the welfare of every participant in a project.

The University has provided a formal guarantee to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) that it will follow procedures to assure the protection of all human subjects involved in research projects. (Note: Copies of Sacred Heart University's general Assurance of Compliance with DHHS regulations for Protection of Human Research Subjects are available for review in the following areas: Office of Foundations & Grants and Office of Academic Vice President). This guarantee applies to research conducted by anyone on the premises of Sacred Heart University and to research conducted elsewhere by faculty, students, staff, or other representatives of the University, whether or not the research is sponsored by the DHHS.

In order to comply with this assurance, the University has established an institutional committee competent to review projects that involve human subjects. Under the provisions of the DHHS Regulations for the Protection of Human Research Subjects (45 CFR 46, as amended), this committee has been designated as the Institutional Review Board (IRB).

The purpose of this document is to assist Sacred Heart University investigators in the preparation and submission of research proposals for review by the IRB. They are designed to assist the investigators in the protection of the safety and privacy of the research subject and to assure an informed judgment that the results likely to be achieved by the study justify the possible physical risks, emotional stress, or violations of privacy of the human participant. A cross reference to corresponding sections of 45 CFR 46 is provided in parentheses throughout this document.

The IRB strongly recommends that investigators take the online Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI) training for human subject research, which can be found at CITI Program USA. Sacred Heart is a participating institution; registration is free.

It is the responsibility of all members of the Sacred Heart University community to observe these policies and procedures. Failure to do so could impugn the investigator's own name and the reputation of the University and could lead to restrictions on the research activity of the individual as well as potentially endanger federal funding to the University.